The Pentagon soo didn’t mean to imply it was considering separate housing and bathing facilities when its spokesman discussed possible “facility adjustments” after the repeal of DADT. Now he says “no one is considering ‘separate but equal’ bathing or living facilities for you know, gay and straight troops. That’s just not ever a consideration.”

You know what’d make this a whole lot easier? If the Pentagon stopped being so cagey about all these things “under consideration” and simply laid out the specific things it’s considering changing. Or, “adjusting.” Instead of different barracks, are they going to put an extra wall up in the shower stalls? Or maybe a sign, next to the one about what to do in a choking emergency, explaining appropriate and inappropriate behavior around homosexuals in the shower?

Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell, who does not have an easy nor enviable job, meanwhile doesn’t have much to offer in the way of guaranteeing this is all going to end well. “You’re gonna have to take us at our word on that,” he says in regards to what will happen if the survey results come back and we learn most soldiers can’t stand homos, and some of the Joint Chiefs push to keep DADT. In which case: Is it so unreasonable that our military leaders take this 32-page DADT survey themselves, and release the results? You know, just so we know if any of them believe to be serving alongside homosexuals, or whether their own morale suffers because of The Gay.

This whole survey is a disgrace. Note Barack “fraud” Obama’s absolute silence on it. It suggests that Obama himself approves of it and may even have had a hand in it. There is the disinct possibility that this survey is part of a coordinated set-up to keep DADT on the books.

It is now even more imperative that every gay person of voting age vote against the Democrats this November.

Jul 13, 2010 at 9:39 am · @Reply ·

Brutus

@jason: It is now even more imperative that every gay person of voting age vote against the Democrats this November.”

Fuck that, I’m not turning this country over to the Republicans.

Jul 13, 2010 at 10:25 am · @Reply ·

Brutus

Having the Joint Chiefs answer the survey publicly seems like a great idea, as long as their answers are released only after all the other results are in.

“If the Pentagon stopped being so cagey about all these things “under consideration” and simply laid out the specific things it’s considering changing.”

Maybe they don’t HAVE any specific changes in mind yet because they’re waiting to see what they learn from some sort of study or survey or something that they for whatever reason think might help them figure out the best way to integrate open gays.

We have a “volunteer military” and Queer Quisling Brutus keeps volunteering to deep throat the lies, contradictions, and moldy homophobia of the Gates Reich. They ask 400,000 troops if they believe they could only succeed in combat with an ALL HETEROSEXUAL unit…but, NO, Pvt. Benjamin, they are NOT considering ANY form of segregation!

If they’re NOT even CONSIDERING facility changes, why did Chair of the Joint Chiefs ADM Mike Mullen say to the Senate Armed Services Committee on February 2nd that:

“…even infrastructure changes to be made certainly seem plausible.”

reinforcing it in his personal blog on February 3rd:

“…perhaps even infrastructure changes to be made.”

Mullen is often seen as the kinder, gentler Gates, but he talks out of both sides of his mouth even more. And he’s essentially already answered the survey himself, having said that in his 42 years in the Navy he never say ANY “impact” of gays serving. BUT he has repeatedly and forcefully defended Gates phony “study” of potential “impact.” What? Does he think nongay troops are more delicate; gays more undisciplined than they were FOUR DECADES AGO?

Whom to believe and which time? If it IS just a matter of a “shower curtain gap,” then it’s time for every gay American to show their patriotism and enlist in my campaign to PUT A CURTAIN IN EVERY SHOWER from the Halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli; we’ll be there, followed by more; farewell to college joys; for where’er we go, you will always know that a shower curtain is waiting for you!

@Michael @ LeonardMatlovich.com: I said they probably don’t have any specific proposals. What you describe is just spitballing ideas, which is not the same thing.

If you’re going to argue, pay attention instead of tilting at strawmen.

Jul 13, 2010 at 11:33 am · @Reply ·

Baxter

@Michael @ LeonardMatlovich.com: I agree with almost everything you say, but I wish you wouldn’t type like a crazy conspiracy theorist. Drop the stupid pictures. Drop the random bold and italics. Drop the random capitalization. When I read your comments I half expect you to be talking about the Illuminati and reptilian aliens taking over our government. Needless to say, it really doesn’t help your cause.

Jul 13, 2010 at 11:48 am · @Reply ·

Jon

@ Michael. i second with Baxter. I’ve seen your posts in a few boards and each and every time, you manage to look more crazy with each post. Just because you are associated with Leonard (or claim to be) doesn’t make you the end all-know all guy on DADT. Get over yourself and stop being so combative…

Jul 13, 2010 at 11:52 am · @Reply ·

ron

@Baxter: OMG, I totally agree! You can almost hear him screaming at the computer screen and popping a vein.

Jul 13, 2010 at 11:55 am · @Reply ·

Chris

Also note that the word “infrastructure” is usually not meant as a physical building.

Infrastructure usually refers to things like training, education, or support.

Jason and Michael @ Leonard are not wrong to point fingers at the failure of the Obama Administration to engage in the gay rights arena the way Candidate Obama told us he would act…all that “Hope” and “Yes We Can” is/was, basically, bullshit.

NONETHELESS, voting for Repugnantans will not make things better; letting Repugnantans run Congress and the White House leads to attempts to amend the Constitution to VIOLATE our opportunity for equal rights. Hasn’t our country suffered enough after 8 years’ of W, Cheney, and their Repugnantan ilk?

Instead of dropping support en masse of all Democrats, perhaps the better strategy is the one being used by TakeBack NY, going after individual Democratic turncoat traitors. There are plenty of Democrats who unequivocally support gay/lesbian rights. And sure, we won’t win each primary, but thats a lot better than enduring another 8 years’ of Repugnantan policies.

Oops, should have been “Fight Back NY” instead of “Take Back NY”; guess I’ve been down South now for a year and missing the NY life.

Jul 13, 2010 at 12:12 pm · @Reply ·

Steve

You know, I can think of a million different ways the Pentagon could have passed out the survey. The one that sticks out in my mind is make a website, make a poll question: “Are you okay serving with open homosexuals? Yes? No?” Then read the results. Done.

First, in addition to trying to “shoot the messenger,” your cluck clucking about text formatting and illustrative photos in that message is puerile and transparent. If they were employed to agree with you, you wouldn’t complain at all.

You have a right to believe Obama, Inc., whenever they piss on our legs but insist it’s just raining, a right to your own opinions, but, as another expression goes, not your own reality.

Both the idea of the “survey” and its execution has been universally condemned by LGBT rights and gay servicemember rights professionals. EVEN HRC has criticized it.

Only those with childlike minds perceive everything uniquely as it appears before them. Adults perceive things in context. And this survey must be perceived in the context of Obama’s history below. Feel free to attempt to disprove any of them.

1. Forced our allies in Congress to trash the five-year old Military Readiness Enhancement [DADT repeal] Act that he had vowed to start personally fighting for as soon as he took office;
2. GUTTED any GUARANTEE of an end to discharges from the amendment;
3. GUTTED the explicit ban on discrimination against gays in the military from the amendment;
4. GUTTED permission for those already discharged to reenlist from the amendment;
5. REFUSED to order his SECDEF and the Joint Chiefs of Staff to salute those three key mandates making the DOD a virtual fourth branch of government;
6. REFUSED to use the legal power Congress gave him to unilaterally stop discharges which he’s said himself “weaken national security”
7. Instead has DISCHARGED over 800 gays since being sworn, and is still discharging them, according to SLDN, under the “old rules” contrary to new ones released March 25th;
8. REFUSED to order Gates to follow the YEAR & A HALF OLD 9th Circuit Court Witt decision banning any discharges within its multi-state jurisdiction when the military has not proven that the INDIVIDUAL damages unit cohesion. Gates finally promised on Feb. 2nd to announce such policies by mid-March but still hasn’t.
9. DEFENDED DADT in court papers more than half a dozen times with the same homophobic language used to pass it in 1993; even going so far as to try to have an active duty gay servicemember kicked off the case insisting that since he’s still IN the military, in Irag, he can’t CLAIM that DADT affects him. As I write this, his DOJ is in federal court in Riverside this morning defending it again.
10. CLAIMED DADT has been ruled constitutional by Supreme Court when it never has;
Done NOTHING to keep his promise to pass ENDA;
11. Done NOTHING to keep his promise to pass UAFA;
12. Done NOTHING to keep his promise to repeal DOMA;
13. Instead, DEFENDED DOMA in court repeatedly in terms even more homophobic than those used to pass it originally;
14. Did NOTHING to help pass the hate crimes bill other than posing for a photo with Judy Shepard;
15. Is being sued by Lambda Legal for refusing to let a lesbian federal court employee buy insurance for her partner despite a court order clearly indicating it would NOT be a violation of DOMA; nor would it cost the government a cent;
16. Thrown cheap crumbs at us like hospital visitation which even the Antigay Industry supports;
17. Empowered religion fascist bigots by telling reporters for the homohating Catholic Church that, “As a Christian, I’m constantly wrestling with my faith and my solicitude and regard and concern for gays and lesbians.”

1. Deny.
2. Deny.
3. Deny.
4. Deny.
5. Admit as to the lack of an order; the rest is a conclusion.
6. Admit.
7. Admit.
8. Admit that such an order has not been given.
9. Admit only that DADT has been defended in court.
10. Deny.
[No number assigned]. Admit.
11. Admit.
12. Deny.
13. Deny.
14. Deny.
15. Admit only that Lambda Legal has filed a suit regarding the proper role of a judge in his administrative, rather than judicial, capacity.
16. Admit.
17. Admit only that the quotation was uttered.

Jul 13, 2010 at 2:32 pm · @Reply ·

jason

As a gay man, I resent having to shower next to some smelly breeder with bad teeth and loose bowels.

It doesn’t suggest that he approves of it at all, the way I suspect he doesn’t approve of a lot of the bullshit that goes on in this country but about which he stays silence. He may not be ballsy, but I really don’t think the man’s homophobic. And he’s certainly not dumb.